Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the live theater continuation of the Harry Potter saga, had its first showing in previews Tuesday night at the Palace Theatre in London. Or at least its first half-showing: The play, written by John Tiffany from an original story by Tiffany, Jack Thorne, and Potter author J.K. Rowling, is presented in two parts. Each is more than two hours long, and only the first part was shown Tuesday night. It won’t be until Thursday that this night’s audience gets to see the show’s conclusion. Nevertheless, fans have already started offering their assessments on Twitter, while following Rowling’s video request Monday that audiences keep the play’s secrets:
What we do know is that the play is about the next generation of Harry Potter adventures, as per the show’s website’s description:
It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.
While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.
The show’s official Twitter account tweeted a photo of the Hogwarts set as the play opened:
Not too surprisingly, the people who managed to procure tickets to the first-ever performance of a new Harry Potter story seem to have enjoyed seeing a new Harry Potter story:
Tickets included a program and a #KeepTheSecrets pin:
The big event, besides a still-secret cliffhanger ending to the play’s first part, was the escape of a rogue owl:
Surprisingly, the show’s website has an entire section of questions about the owls, from “Are birds ever caged in the production?” to “Aren’t owls supposed to be asleep during the day?” but not “What happens if an owl escapes during the first performance?”
Tickets to the show are already hard to come by, but the play will be published on July 31.
